Tree rules in Nashville: permits, protected trees and fees

This page reports what the official source says. It is not legal advice: ask the office named here. It describes the Code of Ordinances of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, Tennessee, as published on the Municode site (the site's version dated June 23, 2026) and read on October 9, 2026: section 17.28.065 Trees, article X of chapter 17.40 (sections 17.40.440 to 17.40.480) and the definitions in section 17.04.060. The wider list of cities is on the guide to tree permits in the largest US cities.

Which trees are covered

Section 17.28.065 sets three kinds of tree. A protected tree is any existing tree with a diameter at breast height (DBH) of at least 6 inches, or any existing tree of 2 inches DBH or more in the public right of way. To count, the tree is absent from the Tennessee Invasive Exotic Plant List and is in at least fair condition, free of major insect or disease problems. A heritage tree meets a size for its type, or is registered in the Metro historic and specimen tree programme, or appears on the Tennessee Champion Tree list or in the Tennessee Landmark and Historic Tree Registry that the Tennessee Division of Forestry keeps. It must also have a life expectancy of more than fifteen years, a structurally sound trunk without extensive decay, no more than one major and several minor dead limbs, and no major insect or pathological problems.

Heritage tree type	DBH at which it is heritage	Examples the Code lists
Deciduous canopy	24 inches	Oak, maple, poplar, planetree, ginkgo
Evergreen tall	10 inches	American holly, southern magnolia, pine, spruce, cedar
Deciduous understory	8 inches	Redbud, dogwood, flowering cherry, Japanese magnolia, Japanese maple
Evergreen low	8 inches	Dwarf magnolia, hemlock, hybrid holly, cherry laurel in tree form

The historic and specimen programme is voluntary. The Metropolitan Beautification and Environment Commission designates trees on the advice of the Metropolitan Tree Advisory Committee and with the owner's consent, and every tree in it is also a heritage tree. Section 17.28.065 says such a tree is not removed without a finding by the Commission that it is a hazard, or a determination that the parcel cannot economically or practically be developed without removing it. Section 17.28.020 lists exemptions from the article, among them essential public utility facilities and the construction of a single-family or two-family dwelling on a platted lot that existed when the zoning title was enacted.

The tree removal permit

Section 17.40.440 says that, unless exempt, no one removes or damages in any way a retained, protected or heritage tree until the zoning administrator has issued a permit. A tree removed or damaged without one is repaired following International Society of Arboriculture practice the Code accepts, or replaced with trees worth the same density units. Section 17.40.460 exempts commercial nurseries, botanical gardens, tree farms and groves for trees planted or managed for that purpose, and a Tennessee-licensed land surveyor or engineer working in a swath of 3 feet or less that holds no historic or specimen tree.

Section 17.40.470 says anyone seeking a permit, including a person in the business of tree removal services on commercial property, applies in writing to the zoning administrator. The application carries the owner's or agent's details, a tree survey showing retained, protected and heritage trees with common or scientific names, a final site plan and a plan for disposal of the tree. Filing the application is taken as permission for the urban forester to inspect the site. Permits for pruning or removal needed for public utilities and communications facilities may be issued to them for one year and renewed annually.

Condition the petitioner shows	Section 17.40.470(B)
Approval	The site has development, site plan or subdivision approval
Structure	The tree sits so close to an existing structure that the structure's safety, utility or integrity is materially impaired
Utilities	The tree materially interferes with existing infrastructure or utility lines for which there is no feasible relocation alternative
Traffic	The tree is a serious hazard to motor, bicycle or pedestrian traffic
Condition	The tree is diseased, infested or weakened by age, abuse, storm or fire, and is likely to injure people or damage property
Neighbouring trees	Removal is needed for the growth of surrounding protected and heritage trees, with a stated preference for protecting heritage trees; replacement is not required
Law and density	A law or regulation requires the removal, or the site keeps the required tree density after the removal

A permit expires if work does not begin within six months of the permit date, or if it is stopped for six months or more. Notice that work began and ended goes to the urban forester by signed affidavit. Where the urban forester finds a site cannot hold the replacement trees, or the soil or slope would not let them grow, section 17.40.480 lets the applicant pay into a tree bank, at a schedule the urban forester sets and the Council approves by resolution, for planting and maintaining public trees.

Tree density and replacement

Section 17.28.065(C) says trees removed under a permit are replaced at the owner's or developer's expense to meet the tree density standard, and a retained tree removed without a permit is replaced inch for inch. The standard is a count of density units per acre, from retained and replacement trees together, using schedules in the Code.

Property	Density the Code requires
Most properties	At least 22 units per acre
Single and two-family subdivisions with a preliminary plan filed after the provision took effect	At least 14 units per acre, not counting the building lots
Individual single and two-family lots	One 2-inch caliper tree for each 30 feet of frontage, or two such trees for each 30 feet on a cul-de-sac lot
Narrow lots, or builders who petition the urban forester to credit retained trees	At least 7 units per acre

A single-trunk replacement tree is at least 2 inches in caliper and 6 feet tall and comes from the Urban Forestry Recommended and Prohibited Tree and Shrub List. Section 17.28.065 requires a replacement tree planted for credit to be replaced by one of equal or greater diameter if it dies, and bars its removal without the urban forester's permission. Appeals of the urban forester's decisions go to the Board of Zoning Appeals.

Protection zones and penalties

Section 17.28.065(D) bans injuries from machinery, chemicals, grade changes, trenching, compaction, paving and material storage around retained trees. The tree protection zone has two parts. The structural root zone is one half foot for each inch of DBH, with a minimum of 6 feet, and nothing inside it is disturbed. The critical root zone sits next to it at one foot for each inch of DBH, with a minimum of 10 feet, and staff may adjust its shape by up to 20 percent. Chain link fencing at least 4 feet high encloses the zone before grading, with signs at least 2 feet by 2 feet, one for every 100 linear feet, worded in English and Spanish. Pruning inside the zone is permitted where an ISA certified arborist supervises it and staff are told in writing beforehand.

The same section sets a civil penalty of US$50 per violation per day for injury, damage or removal of trees in the zone. Each tree is its own violation and no notice is needed before the penalty is assessed. Any injury, damage or removal is treated as removal without a permit, and a site is considered in compliance once staff approve a revised landscape plan with a planting deadline. If planting misses the deadline, the earlier penalties resume until final inspection of the replacement trees.

Tree rules in Nashville: permits, protected trees and fees

Which trees are covered

The tree removal permit

Tree density and replacement

Protection zones and penalties

Sources